I Became the Male Lead in a Romance Fantasy Novel

061. Original Work (4)

Only those he liked, he liked.

It was clear what that meant.

Owen cherished only those he allowed into his domain.

Whether they were his subordinates, knights, or clearly ‘his people’ like those employed in his mansion.

Apart from them, there were only Kyle, a friend, and Lucia, the beloved.

“Delightful.”

Lucia smiled upon hearing the clear response.

It was an utterly satisfying answer.

In response to her words, Owen also smiled back.

The party was noisy, but the night that remained at its end was tranquil.

It was a peaceful night softly illuminated by moonlight.

* * *

After Owen and Lucia left the party hall.

Bella stood there motionless for a while before finally leaving.

‘She’s already acting all high and mighty.’

Recalling the words she had just heard, she felt a bitter laugh welling up inside her.

Lucia, as depicted in ＜Empire’s Flower＞, exuded confidence and arrogance.

She was dazzlingly beautiful and knew how to manipulate people well.

To the point of feeling instantly sour.

‘How did Bella not get angry after hearing such talk?’

By now, Bella was curious.

Why was the original ‘Bella’ so carefree and peaceful?

Despite being someone who ultimately tried to harm her, ‘Bella’ remained graceful and unwavering.

‘Can’t she feel any anger?’

Anyone would feel annoyed and upset, yet seeing someone unaffected by any influence made such thoughts arise.

“…Lady Lucille.”

As Lucia was reiterating the words she left behind, even Kyle seemed eager to leave the space.

Bella quickly finished her thoughts and approached Kyle.

“I might need your help regarding the recent incident… Would it be alright to visit the tower, Lady Matop?”

“Oh, that’s fine. If you need it, you should go.”

Unlike Owen, Kyle immediately gave an affirmative response.

‘Even though the characters here have completely changed.’

Nevertheless, Kyle was a different character from what was seen in ＜Empire’s Flower＞.

In the original work, he was clearly playing the role of a supporting male lead chasing after Bella, but now he seemed preoccupied with Owen.

‘Chasing after someone just because you like them, that’s all he did.’

That aspect seemed pitiful.

I wasn’t particularly interested in Kyle, but still, the straightforward pursuit he displayed in the original work towards someone he liked was quite admirable.

To give up on someone you like just because they already have a partner.

That doesn’t seem like something ‘Bella’ would do.

“When you visited the tower last time, Your Grace mentioned that.”

I didn’t understand, and I would never do such a thing myself, but that’s how it was.

It was fine either way.

It wasn’t my concern how or whom others liked.

But…

“You… like the Duke?”

As the original story twisted, things were falling apart.

Even though I entered ＜Empire’s Flower＞, the content was missing.

The characters existed, but they were just there, and they had all changed.

That much was okay.

But Owen permanently ending up with Lucia was unacceptable.

I didn’t come here with that intention, but regardless, I didn’t want to see such an ending.

“Yes…?”

Muttering softly, Kyle looked bewildered.

It was inexplicable why he was so surprised again.

He clearly mentioned it himself last time.

“I remember you saying that. Wasn’t it?”

“Well, that’s… I did say that…”

Though the reply was affirmative, there was a hint of anxiety clouding the end of the sentence.

“Can I help you with something?”

Having grown close to Lucia, no.

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For some reason, Owen, who had fallen in love with her, was clearly not going to give me a chance.

Owen was too upright to engage in actions I disliked.

Just by refusing my offer to visit the mansion earlier, I could tell.

He was very conscious of Lucia.

Despite citing formal reasons for the matter, it was evident that he did not listen.

“I think I can help.”

But it was different with Kyle.

Unlike me, Kyle was already on good terms with Owen.

Owen considered him a friend.

Even Lucia seemed unaware of the truth.

Since all business matters were to be resolved at the mansion, pulling Owen out was the best way.

“What is it…?”

Smiling as she made the suggestion, Kyle furrowed his brow.

It was a look of disbelief.

Perhaps he didn’t understand the necessity.

It was evident when you saw his face, unable to comprehend.

After all, it might be hard to understand helping someone who had already made up their mind and given up.

“Since Lord Tap is new to this kind of thing, I may not know much either, but I still have some knowledge.”

Like many heroines in Bella’s romance novels, she had no prior experience in love.

But she was different.

She had dated a couple of times in Korea.

“So, I think I can be of help.”

I may not know how same-s*x relationships work, but isn’t love a universal thing?

If so, I thought it would all end up being similar.

So, by saying something reasonably plausible, Kyle could be persuaded to bring Owen to the mansion.

Then, she would finally be able to face Owen.

“Of course, it’s my first time dealing with relationships, but….”

Unlike Bella, who spoke with that mindset, Kyle was quite taken aback.

When Bella had come to the mansion previously, she had definitely said something like that.

It might sound a bit awkward, but since he considered Owen a friend and a good person, he had a favorable opinion.

Yes, that was true, but….

Suddenly offering help.

Even though she was just starting to make friends, it didn’t seem necessary to provide assistance.

Of course, as Bella said, she probably had more experience in dating.

Growing up in the mansion from a young age and spending her whole life in isolation, she probably knew how to build human relationships better than him.

But still.

No, rather, that’s why she wanted to do it herself.

Because it was her first time.

She wanted to handle a proper human relationship, not a hierarchical one, on her own.

“I think I can handle this on my own.”

Was it because of such ambition?

The words came out somewhat harshly.

He might have disliked others interfering in his affairs.

Of course, the other party’s words were probably well-intentioned, but good intentions didn’t always lead to good results.

“I understand that you were trying to help, Lady, and that you are a kind person.”

Even though he understood that the Lady was trying to help, he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

So Kyle quickly added,

“This is a personal matter, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t delve too deeply into it.”

Kyle drew a firm line.

He believed that personal relationships should be resolved on their own.

And that’s how it sounded to Bella.

“…Don’t worry about how you love, right?”

To her, who was deeply misunderstanding, the true meaning was unlikely to be conveyed.

‘I didn’t think it would succeed in one shot, but the defenses are much stronger than I thought.’

Swallowing a sigh internally, Bella nodded her head.

“I apologize. I must have been too rude and disrespectful….”

She didn’t forget to trail off like “Bella” and bow her head.

Faking a wounded look, Kyle felt flustered.

“Ah, no… that’s not it.”

“It’s okay. Please be honest. If I was rude, I need to correct it.”

Bella spoke boldly with a composed tone.

Upon hearing that, Kyle nodded belatedly.

“Well, that’s true but… there really wasn’t any wrongdoing on your part.”

He added, albeit a bit late.

“If that’s what you say, I understand. Still, if I ever make a mistake, feel free to tell me! I prefer it that way.”

Bella finished speaking with a smile.

It seemed like today was a failure, so it was time to part ways and try again next time.

Since the incident that occurred today needed resolving, they would have to visit the Matop frequently anyway, so there would be plenty of opportunities ahead.

“The original incident was terrible though…”

To think there was poison in the wine she was about to drink.

It was dreadful to think about it again.

She had anticipated something happening today, but if she had forgotten due to a mistake, she would have died right then and there.

“If that’s your decision, then I’ll do as you say.”

As Bella sighed inwardly, Kyle responded.

She gripped the hem of her dress with both hands and bowed politely to bid farewell.

It was a product of rigorous etiquette training she received at the temple.

“It was an honor to meet you again today. I’ll see you at the Matop soon. Have a good night.”

“Yes, until next time.”

Kyle turned away.

Bella also turned right after.

The banquet hall was already quiet, with most nobles having left.

It was understandable, considering the nearly fatal incident involving the saint.

They must have been scared and fled.

While people casually chatted about various things, they didn’t care about risking their lives.

Although in wealthy noble families or in some corrupt noble houses, they might collaborate with assassins behind the scenes and engage in all sorts of misdeeds.

However, they never tried to kill esteemed nobles or aristocrats.

Because that would lead to unbearable consequences.

Given their typical attitude of alternating between strength and weakness, they only treated those they considered “inferior” that way.

Ironically, even the world in novels was unfair like this.

“Your Majesty.”

But what could be done?

Humans were naturally such creatures.

Selfish, knowing nothing but themselves, trampling on others without a second thought just to survive.

That was the nature of humans.

“You haven’t left yet, Saint. Yes. What is it?”

Although the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had left, the Emperor remained seated until the end.

He seemed to be deciding how to handle the remaining envoys.

Since the incident was entrusted to Bella, the envoys would have to undergo interrogation and surveillance within the palace until everything was revealed.

With only a few nobles and envoys from four countries left, the banquet hall was very quiet.

Bella slowly walked towards the Emperor’s seat.

As she had learned, she delicately held the hem of her dress and bowed respectfully.

“I have something to tell you. It’s about the North.”

“When you say North…”

“I want to talk about the forests. The forests where monsters appear. I heard the ‘Forest of Snow’ and the ‘Forest of Mist’ are the most severe.”

In ＜The Empire’s Flower＞, Bella brings peace to the empire in various ways and gains tremendous fame as a result.

The first method is to resolve the incident that happened today and suppress the four countries.

And the second is to cast a protective barrier made of her power around the forests in the North.

She created a barrier called the ‘Shield of Protection’ around the forests, preventing monsters from escaping outside.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This time, I heard that the ‘Forest of Snow’ needs restoration. It’s due to the distortion caused by my awakening…”

Bella trailed off, feigning a guilty expression.

She didn’t actually feel any emotions, but the real ‘Bella’ would have done this.

‘Bella’ was excessively kind, even feeling sorry for such minor things.

“It was an unavoidable event. The Saint has no reason to blame herself.”

“However, I heard that because of that, it will take a long time for the forest to recover. They say it might take until early winter or even late autumn.”

For Prince Richard’s sake, the Emperor personally invested magic stones and gems.

Thanks to that, the forest would be fully restored before the arrival of winter, but that was all.

“After resolving the almost fatal incident, I want to visit the North’s forest. I want to create the ‘Shield of Protection’ to prevent such incidents from happening again, Your Majesty.”